A full explanation of Revelation chapter 11

V 1. "And there was given me a reed like unto a rod; and the angel stood, saying, rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein."

Why measure the temple, the altar as well as the people that worship therein? Here the final judgment takes place. Measuring or weighing things up. The Temple consisting of the holy and the most holy places exist for the sole purpose of blood sacrificing for sin, and the intercession of CHRIST our high priest.  The daily defiling the holy place [first apartment] was followed by the yearly cleansing and the final atonement, the day of judgment when probation has closed.

This refernce to the temple, the altar, and the worshippers points to the day of Atonement (see Lev.16:16-19) Thus this is the day of "measuring", as God judges His people. (see also Matthew 7:1). 

V 2.  "But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles; and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two month."

The temple court was only for the Gentiles. Only the Jews were allowed inside the Temple. Since Christians are now the spiritual Jews, the Gentiles are now classified as Pagans. When pagan Rome became papal Rome, they mixed paganism with Christianity and became the great whore [Revelation 17]. The Roman priesthood of Mithra mixed with Christianity is a counterfeit priesthood that trampled under foot Christ's heavenly priesthood for 42 symbolic month or 1260 actual years from 538-1798 when around the 1800's the heavenly temple services was restored to Christianity with the Millerite movement pointing to it. In Daniel 8:13, one angel asked another angel, How long is this "treading under foot" of the temple to last? And he answered him and said:"Unto 2300 days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed."
When it was trodden under foot by both papists and protestants for so long, it surely needed the cleansing by our great and high heavenly Priest JESUS CHRIST! These symbolic 2300 days are literal 2300 years reaching to 1844 AD. 
See our 2300 days Page [opens in a new window]. Compare to Revelation 13:5b.

Remember that in the original, there were no chapter divisions. So chapter 11 is a direct follow up from chapter ten which speaks of the great and bitter disappointment of 1844 which is shortly after the ceasing of papal power in 1798

V 3.  "And I will give power unto My two witnesses, and they shall prophecy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth." 

For the identity of the two witnesses see HERE [opens up in new window]. These 1260 days of years are the same as in Revelation 12:6,14 during which the real Christian Churches such as the Waldensees, Bohemians, Huguenots and many other Protestant Reformers witnessed for the truth of CHRIST'S righteousness. Sackcloth is a sign of mourning when Christians were murdered and the Bible outlawed first by the church of Rome and than by the French Revolution. Why the French Revolution? Because it took place just before the ending of papal reign and the 1260 years.

V 4. "These are two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of this earth."

Allusion is here made to Zechariah 4:11-14, where it is implied that the two olive trees represent the Word of GOD. Not by any stretch of the imagination could Moses and Elijah be compared to the furniture's of the sanctuary. Forget about Moses and Elijah because they now have immortality and are immortal and cannot be killed. What purpose would it serve to have them laying dead in the street? None! None whatsoever.

V 5. "And if any man will hurt them, fire preceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies; and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed."

To hurt the Word of GOD is to oppose, corrupt, or pervert its testimony, and turn people away from it. It declares that they will have their punishment in the lake of fire [Malachi 4:1; Rev. 20:15; 22:18,19].

V 6.  "These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy; and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will."

By the Word of GOD, Elijah shut heaven that it would not rain. By the Word of GOD, Moses turned the waters of Egypt to blood. "As often as they will" means that as often as judgments are recorded, so often they will come to pass. An instance of this the world is yet to experience of the seven last plagues.

V 7. "And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them."
 
When they shall finish their testimony [witness], that is, in sackcloth. With the sackcloth state ended, a beast now arises. This ending must refer to the end of the 42 month or 1260 years in 1798 A.D. Did such a beast arise at that time? The French Revolution started with banning all titles and classes as well as religion and the Bible. 

V 8. "And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified."

This must be the only place in the Bible where it actually tells us that it is spiritually called by name. Babylon is called the great city and has 10 parts. Sodom is known for its wickedness and Egypt for keeping us in the bondage or slavery of sin.

V 9. "And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves."

Blood ran in the streets of Paris from the guillotines and in fact throughout the country of France and the effects of the French Revolution was worldwide. The removing of royal powers and the freeing of slaves was effected everywhere. Even though Napoleon made war on the rest of the world and met his waterloo, the aims of the French Revolution was in part accomplished, except for banning the Bible and the Christian religion.

V 10. "And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwell on the earth."

In 'who are the two witnesses' we have very well commented in details on these two prophets, the torment, and the gifts.

V 11. "And after three days and a half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.": 

Some Christians like to see real prophets here instead of symbolism. But they would not affect worldwide attention as did the New and Old Testament Bible. The three and a half symbolic days are literal years as were the 10 days of Diocletian tribulation in chapter 2 and verse 10.

V 12. "And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them."

Their enemies, which the previous verses tell us is the whole world, could possibly not have seen any prophets ascending up into heaven. But when after the French Revolution the British and later the American Bible societies were formed and the Word of GOD was spread worldwide, then it could be compared with lifting up the Words of GOD as high as the heavens after being outlawed first by the Roman Catholic Church and then the French.

V 13. "And the same hour was there an earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand; and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven."

The tenth part of the city of Babylon, the 10 divisions of the Roman Empire, one of which was the Franks [France]. The margin of the Bible says 7 000 names of men. It was the titles of the upper classes that were put to death. Kings and Queens these days as a result of the French Revolution are only puppets. The earthquake is understood as symbolism for the Revolution, an earth shuttering event. They abolished class distinctions and royal titles of nobility in establishing democracy and the ripples went to the utmost parts of the world. Revelation is highly symbolic yet teaches a reality. The margin of the Bible says 'names' were killed. The margins tell us of what the original manuscript says. Not every Bible has the margins explained. The names or titles were kings, queens, kaiser, prince & princesses, countesses and any other royal title.including popes, cardinals,bishops, prelates etc.

V14. "The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly."

The series of the seven trumpets is here again resumed. The second woe ended with the sixth trumpet.

V 15. "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever."

But the seventh trumpet, like the preceding six, covers a period of time, and the transfer of the kingdoms from earthly powers to Him whose right it is to reign, is the principal event to occur in the early years of its sounding: Trumpets are announcements. The great Advent Awakening started in the early 1800's to this present day. The advent doctrine of the second coming of JESUS has since been accepted in nearly all of Christianity and even the scientist believe that resources will not last much longer.

V 16,17. "And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee great power, and hast reigned."

From the 15th verse to the end of the chapter, we seem to be carried over the ground three distinctive times from the sounding of the trumpet unto the end. 24 elders, 12 from the old and 12 from the new testament.

V. 18. "And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth."

The investigative judgment taking place in heaven since 1844 AD according to Daniel 8:14 is Yom Kippur or the cleansing and justification of the sanctuary and its services. Daily was it defiled by sin, but the final at-one-ment was the day of judgment and cleansing. Notice that it is the dead that are standing before the judge. Revelation 14:6-12 proclaims the "God News" of salvation coupled with the judgment. The three angels messages proclaimed by Seventh Day Adventists since then, include the words of the Sabbath of Christ [Matthew 12:8] and all the commandments of GOD [Revelation 14:12] that will be the standard of the judgment [James 2:10-12; Ecclesiastes 12:13,14] for all new and old testament worshippers. We are living in the last church age of Laodicea meaning a judged people. JESUS came especially to earth that we may [perhaps] appropriate the righteousness of GOD'S holy law [Romans 8:3+4] and have GOD under the new covenant write love and understanding inside our new hearts and minds [Hebrews ch.8+10].

V 19. "And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament; and there were lightenings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail."

The ark contains GOD'S sacred law of the 10 Commandments [1.Kings 8:9] and it is during the time of the heavenly judgment that the subjects of the kingdom are made up. That is the beginning of the transfer of the kingdom. The seven last plagues will mark the end of all probationary time. In Revelation 15:5 we also see the temple of GOD opened in heaven.

 Nov. 7 Gabet and his constitutional clergy renounce in the convention the sacerdotal character. Madame Roland is condemned to death and executed the same day, with five municipal officers of Pont-de-Ce.

Nov. 11, 1793 Festival of Reason, in the cathedral of Paris. A woman is appointed to receive the homage there which is denied to the Deity.

Dec. 1, 1793 The festival of an ass celebrated at Lyons, in derision of religious worship.

Dec. 12, 1793 The festival of reason celebrated in all cities of France, as in Paris.

SOURCE:
Title: Historical Epochs of the French Revolution
With The Judgment And Execution Of Louis XVI., King Of
France; And A List Of The Members Of The National
Convention, Who Voted For And Against His Death

Author: H. Goudemetz

Translator: Rev. Dr. Randolph

MDCCXCVI (1796)

Notice, historians failed to see this. The Roman Catholic church, who slaughtered French Citizen by the thousands, that kindled hatred for Christianity. Christ was misrepresented. The murderous character of the Papacy was seen in France. In 1572  Roman Catholics tried in one sweep to murder all the Protestants in France. This is known in history as the St. Bartholomew Massacre.
Here we may also clearly understand verse 8 "Where also our Lord was crucified." Jesus said: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me."